Roof-bolting machine



Nov. 23, 1965 R. w. MADISON ETAL 3,

ROOF-BOLTING MACHINE Filed May 22, 1962 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 n H I a 4 v 2 I I Q a a v J (O q 0 ir- Q m r O Q m \9 l I: a a T! I o q A g 0 s d E on n\ O i E '9? Q 2 a Roy (MAD/501v V 2 8 Roy/1L M. BLISS, JR.

- v FRANCIS M. WENS/NG' INVENTORS W ATTORNEY 1965 R. w. MADISON ETAL 3,

ROOF-BOLTING MACHINE Filed May 22, 1962 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 23, 1965 R. w. MADISON ETAL ROOF-BOLTING MACHINE Filed May 22, 1962 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 Wf/A VII Nov. 23, 1965 R. w. MADISON ETAL 3,218,893

ROOF-BOLTING MACHINE Filed May 22, 1962 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 Nov. 23, 1965 R. w. MADISON ETAL 3,213,893

ROOF-BOLTING MACHINE Filed May 22, 1962 7 Sheetg-Sheet 5 Nov. 23, 1965 R w. MADISON ETAL 3,218,893

ROOF-BOLTING MACHINE 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed May 22, 1962 w N @NN i. 3

23, 1965 R. w. MADISON ETAL 3,218,893 I ROOF-BOLTING MACHINE Filed May 22, 1962 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 United States Patent 3,218,893 ROOF-BOLTING MACHINE Roy W. Madison, Royal M. Bliss, Jr., and Francis M. Wensing, Quincy, 111., assignors to Gardner-Denver Company, a corporation of Delaware Filed May 22, 1962, Ser. No. 196,804 8 Claims. (Cl. 81-55) The present invention generally pertains to mobile apparatus for installing roof supporting bolts in the overhead of a mine room or like underground excavation. More particularly, this invention relates to improvements in roof-bolting machines whereby roof bolts can be installed with substantially greater speed, economy and safety than heretofore believed possible.

In the development of the art of roof bolting, various machines have been devised for drilling bolt holes in a mine room roof and for thereafter seating or setting bolts in the drilled holes. Conventionally, the prior art machines have incorporated some type of combined drilling and bolt-setting implement which is operable sequentially to effect bolt installations. While machines of this general type have served to demonstrate the feasibility of roof-bolting as an effective means for preventing roof falls in mining operations, the full benefit derivable from the roof-bolting principle has not been made available by any prior art roof-bolting apparatus.

For example, it will be appreciated that the cost of installing roof bolts depends in part on the amount of time and labor consumed in such operations as positioning a bolt in a drilled hole preparatory to the bolt setting operation. Where known bolting machines have been employed, the time required to complete this positioning operation is great because the machine operator must first manually transport a bolt from a supply point on or near the machine carriage, then align the bolt in the drilled hole and insert the bolt upwardly into the hole, and, thereafter, support the bolt until it is engaged by a bolt-setting implement. From the above description of a conventional bolt-positioning operation, it will be understood that manual performance of this operation is time consuming and, therefore, costly. Furthermore, it is sometimes impossible and often impractical for the operator of prior art machines to position the bolt as aforedescribed; therefore, an additional Worker may be required to perform this task. Moreover, repetitive manual handling of roof bolts, which may be seven feet in length and may weigh twenty pounds or more, produces substantial physical strain and worker fatigue which imposes a practical limit on the number of bolt installations that can be completed during a work shift.

Another shortcoming discernible in the design and operation of prior art bolting machines is the total failure of these devices to reduce well-known and long-standing personnel hazards attendant the installation of roof bolts in coal mines or the like. Thus, although proposed bolting machines have somewhat increased the output of the worker, the machine operator is still required to perform the various roof bolting operations immediately beneath an unsecured portion of the mine roof. Where the unsecured portion of a mine roof comprises cracked laminations of shale, slate or limestone, even the normal operation of the hole drilling implement of such machines could produce sufiicient vibration of such unstable over- "ice burden to cause a roof fall above the operating site of the machine, thereby creating extremely dangerous working conditions for personnel involved in the operation of the machine.

Accordingly, a broad object of the present invention is to overcome the difliculties present in conventional roofbolting machines by providing an improved machine characterized by increased speed and economy in operation and by a substantial reduction in the hazards encountered by operating personnel.

Another general object is to provide a machine of the aforesaid character whereby certain operations, which have heretofore been manually performed, are automatically performed in a rapid, labor-saving manner.

Another object is to provide 'a labor-saving roof-bolting machine wherein roof-bolts are automatically aligned with a drilled hole preparatory to engagement, advancement, and seating by an automatic bolt-setting implement.

Still another object is to provide a roof-bolting machine having storage means for a supply of roof bolts including a feed mechanism operable for feeding individual bolts from the storage means as required thereby to facilitate automatic installation of a plurality of roof bolts in rapid succession.

Yet another object is to provide a roof-bolting machine, as above described, including a novel bolt storage means comprising a magazine for vertically suspending a plurality of bolts and operable to translate the bolts successive'ly into the working travel path of a reciprocable power torque wrench or equivalent bolt-setting implement.

A more specific object is the provision of a roof-bolting machine having hole-drilling and bolt-setting implements, which have parallel travel paths and are alternately swingable into the same working travel path, to-

gether with means for swinging these implements which additionally functions to feed roof bolts from the aforementioned bolt storage means.

Another specific object is the provision of an automatic roof-bolting machine which is operable to perform as aforedescribed and wherein the aforedescribed operations are controllable by a single operator from a station remotely located from the usual working position of the hole-drilling and bolt-setting components of the machine and located beneath a previously secured portion of the mine roof.

Yet another specific object is the provision of a boommounted roof-bolting machine having hole-drilling and bolt-setting components which can be rapidly and accurately positioned with respect to a mine roof by means of plural power cylinders operable for maneuvering the boom and an attached positioner in a plurality of directions and planes.

A still more specific object is the provision of a mobile roof-bolting machine which is especially Well adapted for rapid movement from place to place in a mine by means of a motor driven truck, or the like, which swingably mounts a boom structure for adjustably supporting the operating elements of the machine.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a study of the following description and claims taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a roof-bolting ma-.

Patented Nov. 23, 1965 chine constructed in accordance with the present invention and including a phantom view showing a boom and an attached roof-bolting assembly in a depressed position;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the roof-bolting machine with phantom views of the boom and an attached roofbolting assembly in altered lateral positions;

FIG. 3 is a frontal view of the roof-bolting machine showing a roof-bolting assembly in altered positions in phantom lines.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of an installed roof-bolt assembly;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged top plan view of the roof-bolting assembly shown in FIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along lines 66 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along lines 77 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along lines 88 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of a bolt-setting mechanism included in the roof-bolting assembly shown in FIGS. 13 and 5;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along lines 10-10 of FIG. 9 and showing certain moving parts in altered positions;

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of a roof-bolting mechanism showing clamping fingers in their open and closed operating positions;

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary view of a modified form of clamping finger shown in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary perspective view of a switch actuating mechanism showing the parts in spaced apart relation;

FIG. 14 is a longitudinal sectional view of a bolt storagev and feeding mechanism together with a bolt-setting mechanism in bolt-receiving relation and in bolt-setting relation thereto;

FIG. 15 is an end view of the bolt storage and feeding mechanism shown in FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of a bolt feeding mechanism shown in FIGS. 14 and 15; and taken along lines 1616 of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a fragmentary View of the operating fingers of the bolt-feeding mechanism shown in FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a view similar to FIG. 17;

FIG, 19 is a diagrammatic representation of the hydraulic system of the present roof-bolting machine;

FIG. 20 is a diagrammatic representation of the pressure fluid system of the present roof-bolting machine.

In the drawings, the numeral 10 generally indicates a roof-bolting machine constructed in accordance, with the present invention and adapted for movement along the floor 12 of a mine, tunnel, or similar underground excavation for installing supporting bolts in the overhead of the mine roof.

The general purposes of roof bolting and the advantages derivable therefrom are well known in the mining and construction industries; consequently, several types of roof bolt assemblies and apparatus for their installation have been devised heretofore. A bolt assembly, which is representative of the several types of illustrative machine 10 is adapted to install, is shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings at numeral 16 and includes a headed bolt 18 which threadably cooperates with a tapered plug 20 to spread forcibly an expansion shell 22 thereby to anchor the shell in the material forming the wall of a drilled hole 24. FIG. 4 also illustrates a roof plate penetrated centrally by the bolt shaft 18a and bearing against the bolt head 18b and the roof 14 to provide a solid base for the bolt and to provide additional support means for the roof strata.

conventionally, the installation of roof bolts includes at least these steps: First, a hole 24, or series of holes, is drilled in the mine roof to a depth and diameter dependent upon the size of the bolt assembly required.

The size of the bolt assembly and the pattern of the drilled bolt holes are predetermined according to the characteristics of the strata which make up the mine roof. Preferably, the bolt holes are drilled normally to the mine root surface, or in most cases, substantially vertically; however, as will be explained hereinafter, the present roof-bolting machine is not limited to vertical orientation or operation. Next, the aforementioned bolt 18, plug 20 and expansion shell 22 are aligned with and inserted upwardly into a drilled hole. Finally, a power operated means, such as a torque wrench socket 28, is applied to the bolt head 18b to turn the bolt 18 with respect to the plug 20 thereby to draw the plug down on the bolt threads and to urge the serrated shell leaves toward and into anchoring engagement with the wall of hole 24.

The exemplary roof-bolting machine 10, generally comprises a mobile operators car or carriage 30 which adjustably carries a semi-automatic roof-bolting assembly 32 at the distal end of a swinging boom 34 and is particularly well adapted for rapidly and efficiently installing roof bolts in all types of underground excavations. FIG. 1 shows the machine 10 positioned in operating relation to a relatively high roof surface 14a, such as that normally encountered in mine rooms and tunnels, and, in phantom lines, in operating relation to a relatively low roof surface 14b, such as that occurring in the mining of coal or other minerals found in seams, as exemplified at numeral 36.

The aforementioned car 30 may be self-propelled by any motor means 38 best suited for the working environment of the car. While car 30 is shown as having a wheeled carriage, the wheels 40 may be replaced by endless tracks or any equivalent means best adapted for the floor conditions encountered at a particular work site. As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the car 30 carries a control console 42 and a seat 44 adjacent thereto which make up a station for a machine operator. In a manner to be explained, the operator can remotely control operation of the car 30, the roof-bolting assembly 32 and the boom 34 by means of a plurality of switch actuating handles shown on the control console 42.

As best illustrated in FIG. 1, a boom mounting bracket 46 extends vertically from the floor of car 30 and carries three spaced swivels 47 for swivelly mounting a tripodal boom structure comprising the aforementioned boom 34, a hydraulically actuated boom-lifting cylinder 48, and a hydraulically actuated boom-swinging cylinder 50. The outer ends of the cylinders 48 and 50 are attached to the boom by pivot connectors 48a and 50a, respectively. In a well-understood manner, the boom-lifting cylinder 48 is operable to swing the boom 34 and the roof-bolting assembly 32 in vertical planes between elevated and depressed positions, substantially as shown in FIG. 1. Similarly, the boom-swinging cylinder 50 is operable to swing the boom 34 and roof-bolting assembly 32 laterally in horizontal planes, substantially as shown in FIG. 2. A hydraulically actuated boom-extension cylinder 52 is disposed interiorly of boom 34 for effecting controlled axial movement of a telescoping portion 34a of the boom 34 and the roof-bolting assembly 32 between an extended position, shown in full lines in FIG. 2, and a retracted position, shown in the lower phantom view of FIG. 2. In the drawings, the hydraulic supply lines for the various hydraulically actuated cylinders have been deleted for clarity of description; however, the hydraulic system for supplying and controlling the cylinders is diagram-.

matically depicted in FIG. 19 where the double acting boom cylinders 48, 50 and 52 are selectively placed in circuit with a suitable hydraulic pump 312 and a hydraulic fluid reservoir 314 by means of operator-con trolled four-way valves 300, 302, and 304, respectively, to supply and to exhaust selectively the ends of the cylinders. Preferably, control handles for the valves 300, 302, and 304 are located on the control console 42 within easy reach of an operator seated in seat 44.

From the foregoing operational description of hydraulic cylinders 48, 50, and 52 it will be appreciated that a machine operator can effect controlled movement of the roof-bolting assembly 32 in a plurality of planes and directions with respect to the aforementioned mounting bracket 46 and with respect to the plane of a selected mine roof section. Thus, from an operating station remote from the working position of the roof-bolting mechanism 32, an operator can control the swinging and telescoping action of the boom 34 for precisely positioning the semiautomatic roof-bolting assembly 32 for installing a plurality of bolts in any desired pattern. This mode of remote control and operation afforded by the present roof-bolting machine is in sharp contradistinction with contemporary roof-bolting procedures whereby operators of other types of machines or hand-held tools are required to work immediately beneath an unsecured roof section being bolted. The present invention obviates this hazard by providing a power actuated boom structure by means of which the machine operator can rapidly and effortlessly position a bolt-setting mechanism from a remote station located beneath a previously bolted portion of the mine roof.

As shown in the drawings, the aforementioned roof bolting assembly 32 generally comprises a rock drill mechanism 54, a bolt-setting mechanism 56 and a magazine 58 for storing and feeding roof bolts. Another feature of the present invention is the provision of an improved swivel connection, generally indicated by numeral 60, between the roof-bolting assembly 32 and the distal end of the telescoping portion 34a of the boom 34, whereby the roof-bolting assembly 32 can be rapidly and accurately oriented for performing hole-drilling and bolt-setting operatlons.

The structural and operational features of the swivel connection 60 are shown in detail in FIGS. 58 wherein a clevis 62 is provided with spaced arms 64 and is detachably secured to the extreme forward or outer end of the telescoping boom portion 34a by a clamping plate 66. The clevis arms 64 are transversely apertured at 68 to provide supporting journals for the opposite ends of a transverse pivot shaft 70 which rotatably supports a surrounding bearing sleeve 72. A second bearing sleeve 74 is welded, or otherwise rigidly connected, at right angles to the pivot axis of the bearing sleeve 72; and, sleeve 74 supports and journals a pivot shaft 76 for pivotal movement about an axis lying in a plane with the longitudinal axis of the boom 34. An upstanding bracket 78 having a pair of spaced ears 80 is rigidly attached to the extreme forward end of pivot shaft 76 for pivotal movement therewith. An upstanding pivot shaft 82 is journaled at opposite ends by the ears 80 and pivotally mounts a forwardly disposed support 84 for the rock-drill mechanism 54 and the bolt-setting mechanism 56.

Referring to FIG. 6, a hydraulically actuated cylinder 86 is connected between pivot pins 88 and 90 which are respectively carried by a pair of spaced ears 92 formed on clevis 62 and by a pair of spaced ears 94 attached to bearing sleeve 72. The cylinder 86 is extendable and retractable to effect controlled pivotal movement of the bracket 78 about the transverse pivot shaft 70 thereby affording adjustment of the angularity of the roof-bolting assembly 32 with respect to a mine roof surface in a manner shown in FIG. 1. The bracket 78 is pivotable about pivot shaft 76 by means by hydraulically actuated cylinder 96 which is connected between pivot pins 98 and 100 respectively carried by a pair of spaced ears 102 extending laterally from bearing sleeve 74 and by a pair of bearing plates 104 secured between spaced brackets 106 which extend rearwardly from the upper portion of the bracket 78. The cylinder 96 is extendable and retractable to effect controlled pivotal movement of the bracket 78 and the attached roof-bolting assembly 32 about an axis through pivot shaft 76 substantially as shown in FIG. 3. Such pivotal movement affords swinging adjustment of the roof-bolting assembly 32 in both directions from the upright or vertical position, shown in full lines in FIG. 3; and, preferably, the assembly 32 is pivotable in at least one direction to a substantially horizontal position to facilitate passage of the machine through low overhead doors or the like.

As best shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, a pair of spaced plates 108, which are rigidly attached to the bracket 78, extend laterally and rearwardly and cooperate with a pair of closure blocks 110 to provide a trunnion mounting for pivot posts 112 protruding radially near the forward end of a hydraulically actuated indexing cylinder 114. The piston rod 114a of cylinder 114 is connected between a pair of spaced lever arms 116 by a pivot pin 118. The lever arms 116 are rigidly connected to the aforementioned support 84; and, extension and retraction of cylinder 114 effects controlled pivotal movement of the support 84 about pivot shaft 82 relative to the bracket 78 between limiting pivotal positions established by abutments of support 84 and a lever arm 116 against the adjustable stops 120 and 122, respectively. For the purpose of description, the limiting pivotal positions of the support 84 may be conveniently denominated as an open indexed position and a closed indexed position. In the open position, shown in FIG. 5, for example, the lever arm 116 is swung into abutment with the adjustable stop 122; and, in the closed position, shown in FIG. 14, for example, the support 84 abuts the adjustable stop 120. The hydraulic cylinders 86, 96 and 114 are diagrammatically shown in FIG. 19 as being controllable to perform their intended functions by means of four-way valves 306, 308 and 310, respectively. Preferably these valves are provided with manual control handles located on the control console 42 to enable an operator seated in seat 44 to swivel the bolt-setting mechanism about the end of the boom 34 and to operate drilling mechanism 54 and the bolt-setting mechanism 56 between open and closed positions relative to the bracket 78.

The aforementioned rock drill assembly 54 comprises the usual guide shell or channel 124 which is mounted at the forward end of support 84 by a tongue-and-groove connection, or an equivalent means, and extends vertically above and below the support 84 at right angles there-' to. A pneumatically actuated percussive drill motor 126 is supported and guided by the guide shell 124 for longitudinal movement therealong between a retracted po sition and an extended drilling position as shown in FIG. 1. The drill motor carries the usual drill rod 128 and actuates the same for percussively drilling bolt holes 24 in a well understood manner. The upper end of guide shell 124 mounts a conventional drill rod centralizer 130. Advancement and retraction of drill motor 126 is accomplished in a well known manner by means of a feed screw device, not shown, which is carried by the guide shell 124 and is operable for reversible rotation by any suitable rotary driver, such as an air motor 132 mounted at the lower end of the guide shell 124 in driving relation with the drill motor feed screw. The drill motor 126 and the drill feed motor 156 are supplied by air conduits, not shown in the drawings. FIG. 20, which is a diagrammatic showing of the pressure fluid system for the present roofbolting machine, includes a pressure fluid source, such as compressor 328, which communicates with a throttle valve 324 in circuit with the drill motor 126 and with a fourway valve 326 for controlling the drill feed motor for neutral, forward and reverse rotation. The control handles for valves 324 and 327 are located on the control console 42.

An upstanding guide shell 134 for the bolt-setting mechanism 56, which is best shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, is generally rectangular in cross section and open at one side and is secured at the forward end of support 84 by spaced tongue-and-groove connectors 136, or the like, in parallel relation with the aforedescribed guide shell 124 for the drill motor 126 and with pivot shaft 82. A grooved slide plate 138 is slidably mounted on spaced guide tracks defining the open side of guide shell 134; and, the plate 138 is movable therealong substantially from one end of the guide shell to the other by means to be described. The slide plate 138 has attached thereto a laterally extending platform 142 which supports a pressure fluid actuated power wrench 144 or equivalent bolt-setting implement in the manner shown in FIG. 10; and, a C clamp 146 surrounding the body of the power wrench connects the same to the slide plate 138 for added stability. The guide shell 134 houses a rotatable feed screw 148 which drivingly engages with a well-known ball-type follower device 150 for advancing and retracting the attached slide plate 138 and power wrench along the guide tracks 140. The feed screw 148 is rotatably journalled at its opposite ends by any suitable means such as ball bearings 152; and, the lower end of feed screw 148 mounts a sprocket 154 which is drivingly connected to a pressure fluid operated rotary feed motor 156 by a chain 158. A drive housing 160 encloses the sprocket 154 and the chain 158 to protect the same from the entrance of damaging rock particles or other debris; and, a closure plate 162 is attached to the extreme upper end of guide shell 134 to protect the feed screw 148 and follower 150 in a like manner. The feed motor 156 is reversible and is also provided with a neutral operating condition. FIG. 19 diagrammatically depicts an on-oif valve 320 for the power wrench 144 and a four-way valve 322 for the, power wrench feed screw motor 156. These valves preferably are manually controllable from the operators console 42.

- The power wrench 144, shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, mounts a socket 28 for drivingly engaging the head 18b of a roof bolt 18. The roof bolt 18 is received and held in parallelism with the rock drill mechanism 54 and the bolt-setting mechanism 56 by at least two vertically spaced clamping means 164a and 16417. The clamping means are identically constructed and generally comprise pairs of opposed clamping fingers 166 which are pivotally mounted on brackets 168 extending from opposite sides of the guide shell 134. As best seen in FIGS. 9 and 11, the fingers 166 are selectively operable to pivot about the guide shell 134 to firmly grip vertically spaced portions of a roof bolt shaft 18a and to pivot apart sufliciently to permit passage of the power wrench 144 and its mounting platform 142 therebetween. The fingers 166 may carry rollers 170 or magnetic members 172, shown in FIG. 12, near their extreme outer ends to facilitate receipt and retention of the bolt shaft 18a therebetween until the fingers are intentionally released. The actuating means for the gripping fingers 166 comprises a pressure fluid actuated cylinder 174 and a coiled spring 176 both of which are connected between pairs of spaced lever-arms 178 rigidly attached to the fingers 166. The spring 176 normally biases the fingers 166 to the open position, shown in full lines in FIG. 11; while, the cylinder 174 is actuable to spread the lever arms 178 against the spring bias thereby closing the fingers 166 about the bolt shaft18b, as shown in phantom lines in FIG. 11.

The cylinders 174 of the spaced clamping means 164a and 164b are actuated and exhausted by separate valves 180 mounted in spaced relation upon the guide shell 134, as shown in FIG. 14. These valves are identical in construction and operation and include plunger actuators I82 extending from their tops which are depressible to exhaust the normally actuated cylinders 174 by means of cam blocks 184 pivotally mounted on the guide shell 134 and extending therethrough into the path of travel of a cam plate 186 mounted for coterminous movement with a frame member 187 of the follower mechanism 150. The cam block 184 is provided with an extending arm which terminates in a ball 188 that is engageable by wall portions of a cam groove 190 formed in the cam plate 186 as shown in FIG. 13. It will be understood that vertical movement of the follower mechanism 150 and the cam plate 186 with respect to the cam block 184 will cause the cam groove to engage and to deflect the ball 188 transversely with re spect to the path of the cam plate 186 thereby pivoting the cam block 184 with respect to the switch plunger 182. Pivotal movement of the cam block 184 will cause the inclined cam surface 192 to override the switch plunger 182 to either depress or release the same according to the direction of vertical travel of the follower mechanism 150. As illustrated in FIG. 14, the switch actuating cam blocks 184 are located with respect to the clamping means 164a and 164b to provide sequential opening of both sets of clamping fingers 166 in advance of the power wrench 144 as the latter moves upwardly along the guide shell 134 to set a bolt 18. Downward movement of the power Wrench 144 and the follower 150 will cause the cam plate 186 to engage and to pivot the cam blocks 184 for sequential operation of the switch plungers 182 to supply pressure fluid to the cylinders 174 thereby reclosing the clamping fingers 166 for receipt of another bolt 18 from the magazine 58.

Referring to FIGS. 1416, the bolt magazine, generally indicated at numeral 58, includes a pair of inverted U- shaped frames 194 which are rigidly joined in spaced relation by upper and lower transverse braces 196. Between points near the bight end of the U-shaped frames 194 are connected a pair of spaced channels 198 for a purpose to be disclosed. A shuttle frame 200, comprising spaced upright rods 202 and upper and lower transverse bar 204, is slidably carried by bearing members 206 upon upper and lower slide rods 208 for reciprocating, bolt-feeding movement between the full line and phantom line positions shown in FIG. 14. An upper movable finger carrier 210 is attached to the extreme upper ends of the shuttle-frame rods 202;. and, a like lower movable finger carrier 212 is attached to the extreme lower ends of the shuttle-frame rods 202. An upper stationary finger carrier 214 is attached between the rear legs of the U-shaped frames 194 by brackets 216; and, a lower stationary finger carrier 218 is attached between the rear legs of the U-shaped frames 194 by brackets 220. The lower ends of the legs of the respective U-shaped frames are tied together by bars 222. Upper and lower bolt-retainer rods 224 and 226, respectively, are adjustably secured between the front legs of the respective U-shaped frames 194 by means of brackets 228 and 230. A formed hood 232 is attached to the U-shaped frames 194 to enclose the rear and top portions of the magazine.

A plurality of movable fingers 234 which are carried on pins 236 are attached to the upper and lower movable finger carriers 210 and 212, respectively for pivotal movement. Slotted portions 234a of each of the movable fingers 234 receive pins 238 which extend radially upwardly from upper and lower transversely shiftable rods 240. Reduced diameter end portions of the rods 240 are slidably supported by apertured journal blocks 242 attached at opposite ends of the upper and lower movable finger carriers 210 and 212. As viewed in FIG. 16, which shows details of the lower movable and stationary finger carriers 210 and 212, the lower transversely shiftable rod 240 is biased to a limiting right-hand position by a coiled compression spring 244 surrounding the left-hand reduced diameter end of rod 240. Thus the several movable fingers 234, which are linked with the rod 240 by pins 238, are biased by spring 244 against counterclockwise pivoting about their pivots 236.

A plurality of stationary fingers 246, which are stationary in the sense that they are not transversely shiftable within the magazine as are the shuttle-mounted movablefingers 234, are pivotally mounted in evenly spaced relation along the upper and lower stationary finger car riers 214 and 218 upon pivot pins 248. As best shown at the right-hand side of FIG. 16 and by a comparison of FIGS. 17 and 18, the several stationary fingers 246 are independently 'pivotable between limiting positions established by threaded stops 250 and spring biased plunger assemblies 252 Iadjustably mounted upon the stationary.

9 finger carriers 214 and 218. The plunger assemblies 252 function to bias the stationary fingers in a clockwise direction for resilient retention of a roof bolt shaft 18a between the stationary fingers 246 and the bolt retainer rods 222 and 224 and within shaped notches 254 relieved in the ends of the stationary fingers.

The magazine frame is rigidly attached by fasteners 258 to an upstanding post 256 integral with the aforementioned bracket 78. The fasteners 258 secure the transverse braces 196 to an angle member 260 which is in turn rigidly attached to the post 256. A shuttle-operating lever 262 is mechanically linked at opposite ends between a pivot bracket 264 attached to the right-hand upright rod 202 of the shuttle 200, as viewed in FIG. 14, and a pivot pin carried by spaced ears 266 attached to the aforementioned support 84.

Having particular reference to the views of the bolt storing and feeding magazine shown in FIGS. 14-18, the operation of this important structural assembly of the present invention is as follows: A plurality of bolts 18 are received and stored in the magazine in the illustrated upright position by slidably inserting the bolts into the lefthand side of the magazine with their several roof plates 26 aligned between and resting upon the spaced channels 198. The bolt shafts will depend downwardly and their weight will be supported by the expansion shells 22 which bear upon the roof plates 26. The bolt shafts 18a are supported in parallelism with the U-shaped frames 194 by the notched stationary fingers 248 which bias the bolt shafts against the bolt-retainer rods 224 and 226. The illustrative magazine has a storage capacity for six roof bolts in six individual bolt stations defined by the locations of the stationary fingers 248 between the ends of the magazine. As viewed in FIGS. 5, l4, and 16, the bolt stations may be conveniently described as comprising a left-hand or initial station, a right-hand or terminal station and four intermediate stations therebetween.

The bolt shafts are disposed in the aforedescribed bolt stations in the path of travel of the movable fingers 234 as the shuttle frame 200 is translated by the lever 262 from left to right between the full line position and phantom line position shown in FIG. 14. As the movable fingers 234 move toward the right-hand or terminal bolt station, the bolt shafts 18a are engaged thereby and are forcibly moved out of the stationary finger notches 254 against the bias of the plunger assemblies 252. The boltshifting action of the movable fingers 234 will cause the roof plates 26 of the respective bolts to slide in unison from left to right along the channels 198. After a bolt shaft has been moved out of the upper and lower stationary finger notches 254 of a given station, continued bolt movement by the movable fingers 234 toward the next adjacent station to the right will cause the bolt shaft to underride the next adjacent stationary finger, as shown in FIG. 18, and thereafter to seat in notches 254 when the shuttle 200 has reached its right-hand limit of travel, as shown in phantom lines in FIG. 14. A bolt shaft so advanced to the next adjacent station will be resiliently held there by the coaction of upper and lower stationary fingers 246 with the upper and lower bolt retainer 224 and 226. As the shuttle 200 is operated by the lever 262 to its original position shown in full lines in FIG. 14 and in FIG. 16, the movable fingers 234 are shifted from right to left, as indicated by the directional arrow in FIG. 17, thereby overriding the bolt shafts 18:: held in its paths of travel by stationary fingers 246. As the movable fingers 234 override the bolt shafts they pivot in unison about pins 236 in a counterclockwise direction thereby shifting the upper and lower rods 240 to the left to effect compression of the coiled springs 244. After the shuttle has carried the movable fingers 234 over the shafts 18a, the springs 244 effect shift-ing of the rods 240 to the 1&2 thereby to return the fingers 234 to their original pivotal position shown in FIG. 16. From the foregoing structural and operational description of the magazine 58,

it will be understood that stored bolts are advanced in unison and successively from station to station by the shuttling action of the shuttle frame 200. While the illustrative magazine has a capacity for storing and feeding six roof bolts, a greater or smaller number of bolt stations may easily be provided without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

As the initial bolt station at the left-hand end of the magazine becomes vacant, another bolt may be manually inserted in its place; however, for maximum personnel safety it is preferred that the magazine be fully exhausted and thereafter returned beneath a secured portion of the mine or tunnel roof for reloading.

A preferred mode of operation of the roof-bolting machine described above will be briefly summarized. The car 30 is located beneath a previously bolted portion of the roof surface to minimize the risk of injury to an operator seated in seat 44 due to roof falls. The operator then moves the roof-bolting assembly 32 to hole-drilling relation with a roof surface, such as 14a or 14b shown in FIG. 1. Such positioning is accomplished by controlling valves 300, 302 and 304, respectively, to swing, to lift, and to extend the boom 34 and by controlling valves 306 and 308 to operate the expansible cylinders 86 and 96 associated with the swivel connection 60 for pivoting the assembly 32 about pivot shafts 70 and 76 thereby to orient the drill rod 128 for drilling a bolt hole 24 perpendicular to the plane of the mine roof. With the support 84 pivoted about pivot shaft 82 to the aforementioned closed indexed position, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 14, by means of cylinder 114, pressure fluid control valves 324 and 326 are operated to energize the percussive drill motor 126 and to effect forward or upward feeding of the drill rod 128 along the guide shell 124 by means of the feed screw motor 132. After the bolt hole 24 is drilled to the required depth to receive a bolt assembly 16, the drill motor is deenergized and the drill feed motor is reversed to retract the drill rod to the lowermost position with respect to the drill motor guide shell 124.

With the support in the closed indexed position or the hole-drilling position, shown in FIGS. 1, 14, and 15, the clamping fingers 166 of the bolt-setting mechanism 56 will be in bolt-receiving relation with the aforedescribed terminal bolt station of the magazine 58. Thus the pressure fluid operated cylinder 174 will be extended to clamp the fingers 166 tightly about the shaft of a bolt retained by the stationary fingers 246 of the terminal bolt station. After the drill motor is retracted, the operator actuates cylinder 114 by means of valve 310 to swing the support 84 about pivot shaft to the aforementioned open indexed position shown in FIG. 2 (upper view), in FIG. 5, and in phantom lines in FIG. 14. The clamping fingers 166 will extract the bolt gripped therebetween from the terminal bolt station of the magazine 58 and will swing the clamped bolt into alignment with the previously drilled bolt hole as the piston rod 114a of the cylinder 114 is retracted. Thus the cylinder 114, the support 84, the guide shell 134, and the upper and lower clamping means 164a and 164b may be considered to provide positioner means for bolts received from the magazine. The stops and 122 may be selectively adjusted to regulate the aforedescribed closed and open indexed positions of the support 84 to insure proper bolt pickup by the clamping fingers 166 and proper alignment of the bolt with the drilled bolt hole.

After a bolt is received in the clamping fingers 166 and is swung into alignment with a drilled hole by the cylinder 114, the power wrench 144 and the wrench feed screw motor 156 are energized by valves 320 and 322, respectively. As the feed screw 148 is rotated, the follower mechanism 150 will move upwardly carrying with it the power wrench 144 and a bolt 18 engaged by the power wrench socket 28. As the power wrench travels upwardly along the guide shell 134, the cam plate will engage the ball arm 188 of the lower cam block 184 to 1 1 effect counterclockwise pivoting of the cam block, as viewed in FIG. 13, thereby to cause the cam surface 192 to override and to depress the plunger actuator 182 of the lower valve 180. As shown in FIG. 20 where one cylinder 174 and its control valve 180 are diagrammatically depicted, the valve 180 is operable to exhaust the cylinder 174 to permit the same to move to the retracted position shown in full lines in FIG. 11. The spring 176 of the lower clamping means 1641) will then pivot the fingers 166 to the open position, shown in phantom lines in FIG. 11,

well in advance of the approach of the power wrench 144.

With the bolt-setting mechanism in the condition shown in FIG. 9, the lower clamping means 164b has opened to pass the power wrench 144 while the upper clamping means 164a remains closed in clamping relation with the bolt 18 and in supporting relation with a roof plate 26. After the power wrench has traversed the lower clamping means 164b, the lower clamping fingers 166 will remain open and the upper clamping fingers will open upon actuation of the upper valve 180 as the cam plate 186 moves into camming relation with the upper cam block 184. As the upper clamping fingers 166 open to pass the power wrench, the roof plate 26 will be picked up by the socket 28 and advanced upwardly with the bolt to the fully installed condition shown in FIG. 4. As the power wrench is retracted in response to reversal of rotation of the feed screw 148 by motor 156, the upper and lower clamping fingers will close sequentially as the cam plate 186 operates the valves 180 to energize the clamping cylinders 174.

An important operational feature of the present roofbolting mechanism 32 is the actuation of the bolt-feeding shuttle 200 of the magazine 58 in synchronism with and in response to swinging of the bolt-clamping and boltpositioning means between the aforedescribed open and closed indexed positions. Thus the indexing cylinder 114 is operable to swing the bolt-setting mechanism alternately between a bolt-receiving position with respect to the terminal bolt station of magazine 58 and a boltsetting position wherein the clamped bolt received from the magazine is aligned with a drilled bolt hole. Such swinging movement is mechanically coupled to the magazine operating shuttle 200 by the aforementioned lever 262 to produce transverse reciprocation of the shuttle thereby to effect bolt feeding in the manner heretofore described. Thus the magazine feeding mechanism is operable in a simple and efiicient manner in coordinated relation with coacting drilling and bolt-setting mechanisms of the roof-bolting machine.

While the improved bolting machine 10 has been shown and described as having particular utility when employed for roof-bolting applications in mines or other underground excavations, it will be appreciated that the present invention broadly contemplates the provision of a semiautomatic apparatus for hole-drilling and bolt-setting operations wherever bolting of rock strata is beneficial. Moreover, the above description and accompanying drawings comprehend only a general and preferred embodiment of the invention and various changes in construction, proportion, and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having fully disclosed the invention, What we claim as new and useful and desire to protect by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A roof-bolting apparatus comprising:

support means adjustably movable with respect to a roof;

bolt magazine means secured to said support means and movable therewith;

bolt positioning means pivotally attached to said support means and including bolt receiving means for receiving a bolt fed from said magazine;

bolt setting means including a power wrench carried by said positioning means and operable to engage a bolt received by said receiving means and to rotate the same in a drilled bolt hole in said roof;

power means connected between said support means and said positioning means and operable for elfecting pivotal movement of said positioning means and said bolt setting means with respect to said support means between a first position wherein a bolt is received from said magazine means and a second position wherein said bolt is aligned with said bolt hole and is engaged and rotated by said bolt setting means; and

a magazine operating mechanism responsive to pivoting of said positioning means and said bolt setting means for feeding a bolt from said magazine.

2. The invention according to claim 1, wherein said bolt positioning means includes an elongated member which is pivotally connected to said support means and which supports and guides said power wrench for recip rocal travel therealong.

3. The invention according to claim 2, wherein said bolt receiving means includes bolt clamping means secured in spaced relation on said elongated member and having a closed condition for engaging and supporting a bolt and having an open condition wherein said bolt is released for engagement by said power wrench.

4. The invention defined in claim 3 together with clamp operating means located on said elongated member for sequentially opening and closing said bolt clamping means; said clamp operating means being responsive to travel of said power wrench along said elongated member to open said bolt clamping means to avoid interference with the advancement of said power wrench.

5. The invention according to claim 1, wherein said magazine means includes releasable means for resiliently holding a plurality of bolts in parallel spaced relation.

6. The invention according to claim 5, wherein said magazine operating mechanism includes a shuttle member reciprocably slidable within said magazine and engageable with said plurality of bolts to translate the same successively into receiving relation with said bolt receiving means.

7. The invention according to claim 6 together with mechanical linkage means connecting said shuttle member and said positioning means to effect reciprocation of said shuttle member within said magazine in response to pivoting of said positioning means.

8. A roof-bolting apparatus comprising:

a mobile carriage;

an elongated boom having its proximate end swivelly mounted on said carriage;

power means between said carriage means and said boom for swinging said boom in a plurality of directions and planes;

support means swivelly mounted on the distal end of said boom;

power means between said boom and said support means for swinging said support means in a plurality of directions and planes;

bolt magazine means secured to said support means and swingable therewith;

bolt positioning means pivotally attached to said support means and including bolt receiving means for receiving a bolt fed from said magazine;

bolt setting means including a power wrench carried by said positioning means and operable to engage a bolt received by said receiving means and to rotate the same in a drilled bolt hole in said roof;

power means operable for effecting pivotal movement of said positioning means and said bolt setting means with respect to said support means between a first position wherein a bolt is received from said magazine means and a second position wherein said bolt is aligned with said hole and is engaged and rotated by said bolt setting means;

a magazine operating mechanism responsive to pivoting of said positioning means and said bolt setting means for feeding a bolt from said magazine; and

control means for said power means located on said mobile carriage. 5

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,754,860 7/1956 Moore et a1. 144-32 2,771,273 11/1956 Pond 173-38 10 2,773,526 12/1956 Esliek 144-32 Beltz 8154 X Haberstump 144-32 Van Alstyne 8154 Benjamin 173-38 T alkington 81-54 Reynolds 144-32 X Madeux 14432 X Hendrickson et a1. 173-43 X WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

M. HENSON WOOD, IR., Examiner. 

1. A ROOF-BOLTING APPARATUS COMPRISING: SUPPORT MEANS ADJUSTABLY MOVABLE WITH RESPECT TO A ROOF; BOLT MAGAZINE MEANS SECURED TO SAID SUPPORT MEANS AND MOVABLE THEREWITH; BOLT POSITIONING MEANS PIVOTALLY ATTACHED TO SAID SUPPORT MEANS AND INCLUDING BOLT RECEIVING MEANS FOR RECEIVING A BOLT FED FROM SAID MAGAZINE; BOLT SETTING MEANS INCLUDING A POWER WRENCH CARRIED BY SAID POSITIONING MEANS AND OPERABLE TO ENGAGE A BOLT RECEIVED BY SAID RECEIVING MEANS AND TO ROTATE THE SAME IN A DRILLED BOLT HOLE IN SAID ROOF; POWER MEANS CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID SUPPORT MEANS AND SAID POSITIONING MEANS AND OPERABLE FOR EFFECTING PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF SAID POSITIONING MEANS AND SAID BOLT SETTING MEANS WITH RESPECT TO SAID SUPPORT MEANS BETWEEN A FIRST POSITION WHEREIN A BOLT IS RECEIVED FROM SAID MAGAZINE MEANS AND A SECOND POSITION WHEREIN SAID BOLT IS ALIGNED WITH SAID BOLT HOLE AND IS ENGAGED AND ROTATED BY SAID BOLT SETTING MEANS; AND A MAGAZINE OPERATING MECHANISM RESPONSIVE TO PIVOTING OF SAID POSITIONING MEANS AND SAID BOLT SETTING MEANS FOR FEEDING A BOLT FROM SAID MAGAZINE. 